


More Than A Fairy Tale

by LovelyJasmari



Series: The Young Masters [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Book of Prophecies (Kingdom Hearts), Gen, Keyblade War (Kingdom Hearts), Sad with a Hopeful Ending, Scala ad Caelum (Kingdom Hearts), Storytelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:41:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29436252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyJasmari/pseuds/LovelyJasmari
Summary: This is a story, about a story. Passed on by the parent and carried on by the child, continuing from generation to generation without an end. Because the story itself does not yet have an end.In the centuries after the Keyblade War, Ava marvels at the haven created by her Dandelions. With her role now presumably complete, it is her hope to now live out the remainder of her life in peace. But fate has other plans.
Series: The Young Masters [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153334
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	More Than A Fairy Tale

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> So late last year, I was going through an intense depression and deleted a bunch of works, mostly my Scala-centric ones since I was most dissatisfied with them. But I'm slowly coming out of my depression and have since edited this piece to be more to my liking. Hope you enjoy it!

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Nozomi stood beside her mother, her little hand enfolded in hers as they gazed out at the sea. 

This was the time of day she liked best, when school was over, and she and her mother would walk home together. They always made a point of spending a few minutes in the little park overlooking the harbor. Something about the shimmering blue waters and the islands in the distance always held an attraction for the little girl. 

Today however, there was more on her young mind besides the seemingly endless water and the ornate cable cars floating overhead, connecting one island to another. Her large green eyes followed one cable car in particular, watching as it glided over the town and higher up, until it reached the tower located at the highest point in the center of their island. 

“That place,” she said, pointing to the high tower. “That’s where the Keyblade Masters live.”

Her mother suppressed a small gasp, though she knew this moment would one day come. It would be unrealistic to think she could raise her child in this sanctuary for keyblade wielders and not expect her to become curious about the coveted weapons. Slowly she knelt beside her child to meet her at her eye level, taking both of her hands into her own. 

“Some of the bigger kids are going there soon.” Nozomi went on. “They’re gonna be Keyblade Masters. They’re gonna live there and meet the king and queen! I wanna go too!”

“Sweetheart…” her mother held her little hands tighter, thinking of how best to say what was on her mind. “You can’t go with them, because they’re going to train with keyblades.”

“Can I wield a keyblade, Mama?” Nozomi jumped up and down a little, giving her mother a giant smile that she hoped was of a persuasive nature. “When I’m big enough, pleeeeaaassee?”

A little smile came to her mom’s face despite her worry. As a child of seven, Nozomi saw the world far differently than she did. It was her dearest hope that her daughter would never witness the horrors she had known, and that her young heart would remain as it was now. Innocent, honest and true. Untainted by Darkness. 

And in her mind, that meant Nozomi could never be allowed to have a keyblade. She was still trying to think of how to say this in a way that would not be too disappointing when she heard footsteps in their direction. She thought nothing of it at first. Why should she? On such a beautiful day, no doubt they weren’t the only ones who wanted to enjoy the warm sunshine and cool ocean breeze. 

“It’s been a while. Hasn’t it, Ava?”

That name! A name that she had not heard in nearly a thousand years.For so long, the five were referred to only as “The Lost Masters”. It was a name that no living soul should know. It was a name not known even to her husband and certainly not her child. Terror struck her heart, and her grip on the little girl’s hands tightened as a man approached them.

His face was different, his voice was different, but it was still him. Ava could not mistake that sly, callous familiarity with which he addressed her, so similar to their final meeting. And she could never forget that black coat. Were it not for the child pressed against her skirt, she would have drawn her keyblade right then and there. It took everything in her not to do so. 

Nozomi watched the stranger curiously, too curious to be aware of the fear in her mother’s face. Or the very real danger she was in. Luxu glanced down at the child. 

“Well well, who is this?” he asked, looking right at the child though he was addressing the mother. The little girl smiled. 

“I’m Nozomi!” she said. “I’ve never seen you before. Do you know my Mama?”

“I do, little one.” his eyes locked with Ava’s. “We go way back, don’t we, Mama?”

“What do you want?!” 

“Mama?”

Her grip on Nozomi’s hand had become painful, but even that was not as alarming as the tone in her mother’s voice. She had never heard her mother speak in such a way, even when scolding her. Now when she glanced up at the stranger, she became afraid. Ava could see this and quickly softened her tone, smiling down at her.

“Nozomi, please sit here on this bench while Luxu and I talk in private.” she said. “We won’t be long. Stay put, okay?” Nozomi blinked a few times, but Ava continued to smile. “Obey your mother.”

She jumped up on the bench overlooking the harbor, kicking her little legs back and forth as Ava and Luxu disappeared behind a tree. For a while, it seemed that her fear was unfounded and she refocused her eyes to following the cable cars. All seemed perfectly normal before her mother’s angry voice cut through the air. Her tone was harsh and her volume was loud. So loud that she could not help but listen, though she was sure she would be scolded for it. 

“What business could you have with me now?!” shouted Ava. “The war played out, just as The Master wanted it. The world was broken and built up again. The Dandelions scattered to the wind! And worst of all, you watched it all happen. It’s over!”

“Oh no, Ava. Far from it. The Keyblade War was only the beginning.” He said something else that the child could not understand that seemed to make her mother even angrier. “The Master will return and pretending to play house won’t change the fact that  _ you  _ still have a role to play.”

“Bastard!”

“Oh come now, would you really strike me down? When I can longer defend myself?”

Now the child’s interest was piqued. Quickly and quietly, she jumped from the bench and walked over to where Ava and Luxu were still talking. From where she stood, she could see Luxu with his hands casually raised, but had to press her hands to her lips to keep from screaming when she saw Ava.

Her mother had a keyblade, and was pointing it at Luxu! 

“It doesn’t matter either way,” he continued. “Like I said before fate has already been decided. One day, some darkness obsessed soul will come forth to repeat history. I will be reunited with my blade and that’s when my true work will begin. I wonder, is your family aware of what you’ve…”

Ava had heard quite enough. “SHUT UP!”

“MAMA!”

Ava charged at Luxu and was about to strike but was stopped short when Nozomi’s terrified cries cut through the air. She turned around and saw her child staring up at her; horror, confusion, and astonishment, all written on her tiny face. And after all Ava had done to keep this terrible secret from her. 

_ My sweet Nozomi, why didn’t you listen to me? _

Her keyblade slipped from her grasp, hitting the grass before dissolving in a shimmer of light. Ava sank to her knees, opening her arms to Nozomi. After a long moment of silence, her daughter burst into tears, running into her embrace. 

“Why, Mama?” Nozomi sobbed. “Why did…”

“Shhh shhh, it’s okay, Sweetheart. It doesn’t matter now.”

She was too overwhelmed to be angry at her child’s disobedience, and too overwhelmed to notice when Luxu vanished. It was only when she turned around and saw him gone that her tears finally began to fall. Just when she thought that her own work was finally complete, just when she thought that she may finally be able to live out her life in peace.

But for Ava, there could be no peace. This was not yet over.

~~~

Much later that night, when her family was sound asleep, Ava sat outside their house, looking up at the moon. In her old life, she had taken things like day and night, the sun and the moon for granted. She always felt that no matter what happened, those two things would forever remain the same. But soon she would return to a place where there was no sun and the moon would serve as a permanent reminder of her solitude and her failure. 

How much longer she would have to wait in that place was not known. She only knew that the next time she returned to this realm, Nozomi would be long gone. The happy life she made for herself in this haven would also be long gone.That was time’s curse in the Realm of Darkness. 

But before Ava vanished again, there was one last thing she could share with Nozomi. Something she hoped she would never forget despite her young age. Something she hoped with all her heart that she would share with her own children and that their children would share with their own. Ages upon ages, until the day Luxu spoke of came. 

_ Crying. _

It did not surprise Ava to find Nozomi awake. She did not mind though, it was a good thing. 

“Why are you crying, Mama?” the child asked. 

“I could ask the same of you, Sweetheart,” replied Ava, trying her best to laugh. “Why are you crying?”

“Because,” hugging her mother with fresh tears. “Because you're sad! I don’t want you to be sad, Mama! Please don’t be sad!”

Somehow, the ignorant sweetness in her daughter’s pleading just made Ava feel even worse. She swept Nozomi up into a tight embrace, pressing her little face to her own. How warm was a human touch, how much Ava had missed such warmth in her centuries of solitude. How much she would miss it. 

“Shhh, it’s okay. Don’t cry, Nozomi.” she ran her hand through her soft brown hair. It may have seemed like a difficult thing to ask the child, considering her own tears at the moment. 

“I promise I won’t be sad anymore if you stop crying too. Can you do that for me, Sweetheart?” pulling her face away to look into her glittering green eyes. “Will you stop crying?”

Nozomi sniffed and pressed her hand to her cheeks to wipe them dry. But it seemed to matter how many times she tried, new tears came. Ava understood and continued to hold her, giving as much comfort as she could, for as long as this could last.

With her child in her arms, Ava returned to the house, going first to Nozomi’s room. It was dark and Ava made sure to turn on the little lamp on the nightstand before gently setting her daughter on her bed. Once certain that Nozomi was calm, she returned to her own room for a moment. It was dark but wouldn’t t turn on the light, not wanting to wake Nozomi’s father, and followed a small pool of moonlight to a wooden chest sitting against the wall. A single book lay inside, bound in dark blue leather and engraved with gold. 

“I’ve told you many stories from this book in the past,” Ava said to Nozomi when she returned to her room, carrying with her the Book of Prophecies. 

The child nodded as her mother sat on the bed beside her. She held the book out for Nozomi to touch, flipping the pages for her to see.

“But there’s one story I haven’t told you yet,” she went on. “It's a very important story at the end of this book but the story itself has no ending. Not yet. Do you understand, Sweetheart?” 

“I understand.” Ava then placed the book in her tiny lap. Nozomi flipped to the final page of the book, reading aloud the final sentence written. “‘Darkness will pre-prevail, and light expire…’ Mama, what does that mean?”

“For now, that is where the story stops. But it is still happening, being written as you and I speak.” Ava replied. “You may have heard some of this story before, it may even sound like a fairytale, but I’m what I’m about to tell you now is real. It was real, far more than a fairytale. And it is very important that no matter what happens in your life, no matter where destiny takes you, you will never ever forget this story. Can you promise me this?”

“I promise, Mama.”

“Good, and will you promise that when you’re big and have children of your own, that you will tell them this story?”

“I will.” 

There was a long pause as Ava tried to compose herself and find the words best to describe what she wanted to convey to the child. How to convey the horrors of what had happened in a way that Nozomi could understand. And in a way that her descendants would understand. 

“Mama, will you tell me the story?”

Ava took in a deep breath and began. 

“Long ago, people lived in peace. Bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts.”

There was always darkness in people’s hearts, but when the competition for lux increased, the darkness was brought out. She and the others tried to maintain balance between their unions. But in the end their efforts only served to feed the animosity between the wielders. These were her thoughts, but Ava went on. 

“The darkness spread, swallowing the light in many people’s hearts. It covered everything and the world disappeared. But small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children.” 

A small tear fell down her cheek as she took Nozomi’s hand with a little smile. 

“Children just like you.”

~~~ 

**_Four decades later..._ **

“With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It’s the world we live in now.”

“And that’s how Scala ad Caelum was formed.”

Growing up, Nozomi told this story to her son countless times, along with other tales in the aged blue book that rested in her lap. True to her promise to her mother, she kept the book with her, as well as this story. 

And now with her son soon to leave home to begin keyblade training, she felt it only right that he heard it one more time. Just as her mother had told her, on their final night together. 

“Yes, and eventually those fragments would create the worlds outside of Scala. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That’s why the worlds are still scattered.”

“Divided from each other.”

“That’s right.” Nozomi smiled, handing the book to the young man.”Divided from each other.”

~~~

**_Four centuries later..._ **

“But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return.”

“The door to the innermost darkness,” Vor repeated.

“Grandma…” Takara hesitated. “Does that mean...there may one day be another Keyblade War?”

“I cannot say, dears.” 

The old woman sat back in her chair, pulled up to a small table. Next to her sat an ancient book, its blue binding long worn from centuries of use. The fragile pages were almost illegible and before this book could further fall apart, she was copying them, for her grandaughters as well as future generations. 

Takara, the elder of the two girls, was already training with a keyblade. And her little cousin was soon to join her. Both looked eagerly to their grandmother to finish speaking. 

“I personally do not believe so,” she finally said, setting aside her work to address the girls. “This world has been a haven for keyblade wielders for centuries. The darkness cannot reach us here.”

“There is more to light than meets the eye.” Vor grinned. “Remember Takara? That’s what Eraqus always says.”

“I remember,” Takara replied. “And if that door to the darkness ever opens, we will work together to keep the darkness from swallowing the worlds again!” 

Their grandmother smiled. “I have no doubt on that matter.”

~~~

**_Many years later still…_ **

“It’s getting dark.” Kairi glanced out the window nervously. “Another storm?”

“There seems to have been many storms as of late.”

Lady Takara  gently tried to pull her granddaughter away from the window. When she didn’t come right away, she lifted her from her feet and into her arms. She could see the fear in her young face.

Though she didn’t say so, she knew this was more than another storm. Something red was glowing in the sky in the distance and pools of those frightening dark creatures were crawling about in the central square.

Truthfully, she was also afraid. She had lived through the destruction of one homeworld already, would she have to experience the same ordeal once again? But even with her fears, she remembered the story her grandmother told her all those years ago. The same story that Kairi now loved so much. They sat by the fireplace and despite the tension clouding the room, she smiled at the little girl. 

“Kairi, dear. Do you remember my story? The one you love so much?”

The little girl nodded, something in the calm kindness in her grandmother’s eyes helped put her heart at ease. Without her even asking, Lady Takara began to recite it, more than happy to do anything to calm her grandaughter’s fears. Despite her own fears, she believed in the words she spoke to her. This story was more than a fairytale, it was still being written, and that one day, it would finally be complete.

“Listen, my dear, even in the deepest darkness, there will always be light to guide you. Believe in the light and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away.”

A smile came to Kairi’s face, even as the skies around them became darker. 

~~~

**Author's Note:**

> Late last month I took part in a KH fic appraisal. I was extremely anxious but it ended up being a nice experience and I got some feedback on this work in particular that was very helpful. It was all anonymous so I don't know who gave me feedback. But if they are reading this, thank you for the advice. I tried my best to implement it here so I hope this fic is all around better now. 
> 
> In any case, I'm getting back to my writing soon. My confidence is finally returning and I'm writing a lot more now, more than I have in a very long time. I recently made a huge edit to Seeking, began rewriting Lights Lessons and I'll be reposting the first few chapters of Future Masters sometime tomorrow. I've finished up a bunch of WIP’s I had on the back burner for some time and, best of all, I FINALLY HAVE AN ENDING OUTLINED FOR MY ELRENA FIC!!!
> 
> What’s the cause of this newfound confidence? Well…ahem...*in my best MoM voice* YOU’LL SEEEEEEEEEE.


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